LOS ANGELES – An appeals court has rejected a plea for asylum by a Los Angeles-area gang member, who argued his tattoos would make him the target of rival gangsters in his native El Salvador.

Jean Pierre Arteaga – a legal immigrant who came to the U.S. with his parents at age 4 – was ordered deported because of several felony convictions.

He asked to be granted humanitarian refugee status because of fears the gang tattoos that cover much of his body would mark him for persecution and possibly torture by rival gang members in his home country.

But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Arteaga’s argument, saying he could provide no evidence of his claims.

An immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals have also turned down his asylum request.

New San Diego rail line unveiled

ESCONDIDO – A new train line will give residents of north San Diego County a way to avoid some of the area’s most congested roads.

Local politicians, business leaders and others turned out for Friday’s trial run of the North County Transit District’s 22-mile Oceanside-to-Escondido light rail line.

Service to the public opens Jan. 13. Transit officials hope to attract 11,000 to 15,000 riders daily.

But some are balking at the train’s late arrival. When voters were asked to approve a tax hike to pay for the service, they were promised it would run by 1999.

The service’s startup budget also ballooned from an estimated $60 million to $477 million.

Former congressman Ron Packard, who supported the train line, says he knows there are “naysayers” but he hopes that will change.

Holiday road deaths down from last year

LOS ANGELES – At least one person was killed on Los Angeles County roads during the first 12 hours of the New Year’s weekend, down from the three deaths reported last year by the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP reported no deaths, but its statistics did not include a male killed at Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue at 4:25 a.m. in a crash authorities say may have been caused by two other motorists street racing.

No fatalities were reported in Orange County between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the CHP.

Statewide, the CHP reported four fatalities this year – not including the fatality in Hollywood – down from last year’s total of eight.

In Los Angeles County, CHP officers arrested 94 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, up from last year’s total of 86.

Statewide, 362 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of DUI, down from 388 last year.

The fatality totals are supposed to include all roads in California, while the CHP’s drunken driving totals do not include those arrested by city police departments across the state.

Strong winds forecast for Tuesday

LOS ANGELES – Just like Christmas Eve, another inland high pressure system is moving into California, promising “fire weather” and strong winds for New Year’s Eve and the first day of 2008, forecasters said Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Oxnard said a “very strong area of high pressure is expected to build over Nevada and Utah beginning late tonight, pushing dry air into Southern California Monday and Tuesday” – New Year’s Day.

Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour can be expected in the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita and other wind-prone areas in the predawn hours of the first day of the year, the Weather Service said.

Inland valleys such as the San Fernando and Santa Clara River valleys can expect winds topping 50 mph, the Weather Service said.

Low humidities will increase the fire danger, but Red Flag warnings – denoting the highest level of danger – are no expected to be issued at this time, the Weather Service said.

The winds are expected to hit the mountain near Malibu and north and northeast of Los Angeles most-severely. San Diego, Orange and Riverside counties have not been issued fire weather warnings, but a special weather statement from the San Diego forecast office calls for most areas south of Los Angeles to see wind gusts of 35 mph.

Gusts of 70 miles an hour, however, are possible in wind-prone areas of San Diego and Riverside counties, however, on New Year’s Day.

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